sick, sick, sick...

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I am convinced that summertime colds are the worst.  Maybe they are no worse than wintertime colds but it sure feels like they are.  Perhaps it is because suffering from fever, chills, runny noses and sore throats somehow seems unnatural in the summer and somewhat expected in the winter.  Nevertheless, we are sick of being sick.  Choosing to be home everyday is one thing but being confined to the house for over a week with coughs and drippy noses is something very different.  The few trips out to the doctor have excited me beyond belief. It's sad to say, I know.  There is something very liberating about the Starbucks drive-thru when it is the only way out of the house.  Hallelujah!

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I do hope everyone gets well and stays well because this Momma is sick of being sick!

summertime fun: ice cream

"It is time for a special treat," my big girl called out to me after finding a homemade ice cream recipe on the PBSKids website.  After spending over a week at home with sick kids, I was up for anything new.  It turned out to be a great little activity and quite simple too!  Perhaps it might provide a little summertime fun for you too.

Here is what you'll need:

Ingredients:

(makes 1-2 servings)

recipe from pbskids.com cyberchase

1/2 cup half and half

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 sandwich-size zipper bag

1 gallon-size zipper bag

3 cups crushed ice

1/3 cup rock salt (or sea salt)

{I used Kosher Salt and it worked just fine}

Little signs can be made by excited little helpers! 

Directions:

1. Put first 3 ingredients in the smaller zipper bag and seal bag.

(Make sure it is tightly closed!) Put ice and rock salt in the

larger bag and then drop in the smaller bag.

Seal the large bag.

2.Squeeze, shake and roll the smaller bag within the 

larger bag until the ingredients have thickened,

about 10-15 minutes.

3. Remove small bag, unseal it, and eat with spoon.

Everything always tastes better when a little work went into making it!

YUM!

toilet paper superhighway

As I walked into the living room and saw the toilet paper trail, I wondered what you could be thinking.

We have had many conversations and you have experienced many consequences about unrolling the toilet paper roll while visiting the toilet.  In fact, you haven't pulled this little stunt in a while and I bravely thought we were done this stage.

The toilet paper went from the toilet to the bathtub, passed by the sink, out the bathroom and into the living room, from the carpet to the tile, under the table and around and finally went under your little table and halfway through the kitchen before the roll was done.

I had to carefully hold back my feelings when discussing this little toilet paper episode with you.  In my calmest voice, I asked, "What are you doing with the toilet paper?"

In a very matter-of-fact way, you answered, "It is the road for my cars."

In my mind, that was brimming with many different thoughts at this point, I said, "Yes, of course, it is for your cars."

We left the toilet paper superhighway up for the rest of the day but the extra toilet paper is still sitting unrolled in the bathtub waiting for a new use when she decides to get creative with a toilet paper roll.

soft summer days

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Soft summer days have arrived.

Gentle and calm days without the morning rush to get somewhere on time have fallen lightly on us, creating a welcomed calmness in my mind.  

Little summer sounds have begun to return--squeaky little voices from the dozens of Little People, who have been untouched for many months, fill the living room most mornings.

Lawn mowers mowing the lush green grass from the spring rains hum in the background all times of the day and emit sweet earthy smells of green.

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Little fingers hunt and peck their way through a whole new world of entertainment on the public television website.

Lazy dogs whimper and snore the day away on the cool tile floors.

Screams of delight fill the yard over the first bunch of ripe red tomatoes in the garden waiting to be picked.

Yes, the soft summer days have arrived and they are just the way I like them.  We breathe slower without the tight constraints of commitments weighing heavy on us.  My mind feels uncluttered and free.

Granted, I might be singing a different tune in a few weeks when the temperatures rise into the 100s and little siblings begin to tire of each other's constant company.  For now, we are gluping down our summertime in large doses, happy it is finally here.

Hope you are enjoying your summer days.  Happy summertime weekend to you!

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messages from the womb

I don't know you yet but you seem to have quite the sense of humor.  Despite only peeking at you once, I am amazed at your little personality...or perhaps you are just confused like your siblings.

finale

finale [fɪˈnɑːlɪ]: the temporal end; the concluding time

This month marks the finale of school for my big girl.  Next year she will attend a much bigger new school with new teachers and friends.  We look forward to new memories ahead but definitely lament the conclusion of wonderful years spent among kind and nurturing teachers -- just what her little soul needed.  We are ever-grateful for the happy school memories!

peaches

We recently dashed away for the day to a little country town known for its peaches.  Peach trees are perfect for little ones because they grown small and squatty.  Their limbs hang low with the weight of the ripening fruit and enable little hands to reach up and pluck the beautiful fruit from the trees.

The color of these little beauties was so vibrant against the overcast skies and lush green landscape.

The sweet fruit was piled in a box and into the mouth of my eager little picker.

After filling an entire box full I had to entice my little peach picker to leave with the promise of bakery goods in town.  She would have picked many boxes full if she could have.

As it is, 13 pounds of peaches are going to have us eating peach everything for weeks.

I am so happy that my once non-eating-peach-kid now loves the sweet fruit!

Just in case you love peaches as much as we do, here is a recipe for peach cobbler!  It is tasty and super easy to make with kids!

• Fresh Peach Cobbler
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 cups peaches, sliced
• 1/2-1 cup brown sugar, for topping
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

1. 1
   Melt butter until slightly brown Pour into an 8-by-12-inch baking dish.
2. 2
   Mix sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and milk.
3. 3
   Pour into melted butter.
4. 4
   Do not stir.
5. 5
   Cover top of batter with peaches.
6. 6
   Do not mix.
7. 7
   Cover top of peaches with brown sugar.
8. 8
   Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.